Top 10 James Bond Villains Top 10 James Bond Villains Summary With over twenty Bond movies released through five decades, the James Bond series has had more than its fair share of great villains. Many have been parodied and copied over the years, and their influence can't be overstated. But which ones really stand out, as the most memorable and iconic villains of the series? Here is our list of the top 10. Enjoy! #10 Le Chiffre No list of villains would be complete without including Le Chiffre from Casino Royale . He brought a much needed freshness to the reboot of the series, and was one of the better villains of the post-80s era. The intense battle on and off the poker table was reminiscent of some of the climactic gambling scenes in the Ian Fleming novels. With his creepy eye, sly demeanour, and--as if anyone could forget--his comical torture scene , Le Chiffre is the perfect place to start this article, and well deserving of 10th place.

Le Chiffre was played by Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, who reprised the role in the 2008 first-person shooter Quantum of Solace, providing his voice and likeliness for the character. #9 Francisco Scaramanga Christopher Lee had originally been put forward for the role of Dr. No by his step cousin, Ian Fleming. Unfortunately for him, the producers had already cast Joseph Wiseman , but Lee got his chance again twelve years later. He accepted the role of Fransisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun . Lee was perfect for the role of Scaramanga. He was the spitting image of Fleming's original character, and was received very well by fans and critics alike. His effortless charm, million dollar contracts, golden gun, and third nipple are all memorable parts of the film. Scaramanga has also proved to be a popular character in the 007 video games. #8 Nick Nack And of course, you can't list Scaramanga without immediately thinking of his small butler and sidekick. He may only have two nipples, but he's still a hell of a guy.

His cheeky attitude added a lot of humour to the film, and he worked surprisingly well alongside Christopher Lee. From a mini-gun and peanuts, to suitcases and bottles of wine, there is no shortage of entertainment with Nick Nack around. It is also to his credit that he was the inspiration behind Mini-Me in the Austin Powers films. Nick Nack was played by French actor Herve Villechaize, who would go on to play the role of Tattoo in the American series Fantasy Island. #7 Mr. Big/Kananga American actor Yaphet Kotto joined the Bond series in 1973, playing politician Dr. Kananga and big time gangster Mr. Big in Live and Let Die . Dr. Kananga was a calm Prime Minister of San Monique, an island used to grow drugs that were to be smuggled into America. He would don a rubber face mask to become his alter ego Mr. Big, the ruthless gangster who controls most of Harlem. He played the two characters well, and brought a unique contribution to the series. Kananga, alongside his taro reading mistress Solitaire, remains a popular and well known villain amongst fans. His death by a co2 filled bullet was a little cheesy though.

#6 Jaws Jaws is the quintessential bigger than life bad guy, and without doubt the most well known of the Bond villains. Introduced in The Spy who Loved Me , 7 foot tall Richard Kiel brought to life the steel giant, lending the film a unique charm. He proved so popular that the producers brought him back for the next film, Moonraker . His second appearance came with a rather cheesy love affair, but Jaws remains a favourite among fans, and has gone down in history as one of the best villains in cinema history. He has appeared in many of the James Bond video games, as both playable characters and as part of the story. Christopher Lee | James Bond Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Sir Christopher Lee (May 27, 1922 - June 7, 2015) portrayed Francisco Scaramanga in The Man with the Golden Gun and GoldenEye: Rogue Agent . He was a close personal friend to Sir Roger Moore , whom he first met in 1948. Contents [ show ] Trivia Christopher Lee was knighted in 2009. Lee was in the Royal Air Forces during World War II, but he was forced to leave because of his eyesight.

Some of Christopher Lee's most famous roles are: Scaramanga ( The Man With The Golden Gun 1974) Count Dooku (Star Wars 2002/2005 voiced his own character in Star Wars: Clone Wars 2008) Saruman (Lord Of The Rings 2001-2003; The Hobbit 2012-2014), Captain Rochefort (The Three Musketeers 1973-4) and Dracula (Dracula 1958). Other roles he has played are the title role in Jinnah, about the first prime minister of Pakistan. Lee was also a step cousin to Bond creator Ian Fleming and even starred with pre-007 star Pierce Brosnan in the 1993 espionage film Detonator (A.K.A. Death Train). In 1978, Lee had been offered the role of Dr. Sam Loomis in the classic horror film Halloween, but declined the role because he did not think it worth it to travel all the way to the United States for filming.

Fellow Hammer actor Peter Cushing also declined the role for the same reason, and the role of Dr. Loomis eventually went to fellow Bond villain actor Donald Pleasence . Death Christopher Lee passed away on June 7, 2015 at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London at the age of 93 while due to the effect of heart falliure and respiratory problems. The news of his passing was made public on June 11, 2015 with many reacting. Roger Moore stated on Twitter on June 11: "It's terribly [sic] when you lose an old friend, and Christopher Lee was one of my oldest. We first met in 1948 ... Our thoughts are for Lady Lee, Christina and Juan." Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee) | James Bond Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee) The Man with the Golden Gun, Paco, Pistols Age Francisco Scaramanga is the main villain in the James Bond film and novel The Man with the Golden Gun . Scaramanga was played by the late English actor Christopher Lee , who was also Ian Fleming 's cousin.

Contents Film biography Background Francisco Scaramanga was a British national born in a traveling circus. His father was the ringmaster, a former Cuban national and his mother was a snake charmer. By the age of ten, he was part of the circus as a trick-shot pistol marksman; a skill which he put to use when he shot and killed an abusive animal trainer after the man killed an elephant that had befriended Scaramanga. By fifteen, he was a gunman in Rio de Janeiro. He was recruited there by the KGB and trained in Eastern Europe where for many years he was basically just another overworked and underpaid assassin for the KGB. He quit the KGB in the late 1950s, becoming an independent hitman-for-hire. All of Scaramanga's dealings go through his diminutive accomplice Nick Nack , which allows Scaramanga to remain anonymous. No photographs of him exist, but he has unusual anatomy: a third nipple . As in the novel, it is shown that Scaramanga makes love prior to killing in the belief that it 'improves the eye'. During the events of the film, he is at the very apex of his career.

Consequently, Scaramanga lives very well, drawing from the exorbitant sums of money he charges to carry out his assassinations ("Current price, one million dollars", according to Bond's briefing), and has built his home on his own private island somewhere off the coast of south-eastern China (apparently part of a deal with the Chinese to carry out assassinations in return). Scaramanga lives alone, accompanied only by Nick Nack, Andrea Anders (his kept woman), and a mechanic named Kra who is in charge of maintenance and security. Scaramanga also uses some of his wealth to finance research and development of technologies that rival those developed by MI6's Q Branch . Such technologies include his infamous Golden Gun , a car that transforms into an aircraft and a solar-powered laser cannon. In addition, Scaramanga also has a private junk, which Bond later steals to get off the exploding island. The Solex Agitator Hiding on a rooftop, Scaramanga prepares to kill Gibson. In addition to his career as an assassin, Scaramanga is also a junior partner in Hai Fat Enterprises and personal assassin to the company's owner, multimillionaire industrialist Hai Fat .

Prior to the film's events, a British scientist named Gibson was employed by Hai Fat to develop a solution to the world's ongoing energy crisis . With the help of Fat's construction company, a highly efficient solar powerplant is constructed on Scaramanga's island. However, following its completion, Gibson attempts to return to Britain; bargaining for immunity with a critical component of the powerplant: the Solex Agitator unit. Having outlived his usefulness, Francisco is dispatched by Hai Fat to assassinate the scientist and recover the Solex. After meeting with his British contact at a Hong Kong club, Gibson is assassinated and his invention is stolen from the crime scene by Nick Nack. Scaramanga initially returns the device to Fat, but following James Bond 's interference, he instead decides to kill his employer and take the Solex, powerplant and company for himself. With Hai Fat's assets in his possession, the assassin plans to sell Gibson's solar technology to the highest bidder, which was a huge concern given the recent events of the 1973 oil crisis. Criminality was of no concern to Scaramanga; anyone who paid up would be the new owner.

Clash of the Titans Bond and Scaramanga meet for the first time. "My name is Scaramanga, Francisco Scaramanga. I feel I know you, although I never thought we should ever meet. It's a very great pleasure for me, Mr Bond, thanks to Miss Anders." Christopher Lee Dead: Horror Icon and Legendary Movie Villain Was 93 | Hollywood Reporter Angelika Warmuth/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images Christopher Lee Among the bad guys played by the British star: Dracula, Fu Manchu, Scaramanga, Saruman and Count Dooku. Christopher Lee, the mystical British actor whose haunting, intimidating performances as Count Dracula, the Frankenstein monster and Fu Manchu made him an icon of horror films and the cinematic embodiment of villainy, has died. He was 93. According to media reports, Lee died Sunday morning at Westminster Hospital in London after being admitted for respiratory problems and heart failure. The Guardian reported that his wife, former Danish model and painter Gitte Kroencke, decided to release the news days later in order to inform family members first. The couple had been married since 1961.

Lee, who as bad guy Scaramanga battled Roger Moore’s James Bond in The Man With the Golden Gun (1974), re-ignited his career in his late 70s with what would be recurring roles in the Lord of the Rings, Hobbit and Star Wars franchises. "Such sad news to hear that Sir Christopher Lee has passed away," BAFTA said in a tweet Thursday. "In 2011, Sir Christopher Lee received the BAFTA Fellowship for his outstanding career in film." Incredibly, the London native had more than 275 credits on IMDb, making him perhaps the most prolific feature-film actor in history. He did many of his own stunts, likely appeared in more onscreen swordfights than anyone else and was the only member of the Lord of the Rings cast to have actually met author J.R.R. Tolkien, who was born in 1892. With his gaunt 6-foot-5 frame and deep, strong voice, Lee was best at playing characters — slave traders, crazed kings, vampires, demented professors — who were evil, murderous, dour and unrepentantly ruthless.

Starting with The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Horror of Dracula (1958), Lee, like a mad scientist, helped Hammer Films bring the genre of horror back to life. He played the bloodsucking and brooding Prince of Darkness 10 times but disliked being known as a “horror legend.” Lee was menacing in the title role of The Mummy (1959) and, that same year, starred as the new owner of Baskerville Hall in the remake of The Hound of the Baskervilles, starring his best friend, Peter Cushing, as Sherlock Holmes. The suave and courtly Cushing was his castmate in Curse of Frankenstein and Horror of Dracula as well. He appeared three times as Holmes on screen, most recently in the 1991 telefilm Incident at Victoria Falls, and starred as the detective’s brother Mycroft in Billy Wilder’s The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970). Lee also was Rasputin and Lucifer, and his characters executed King Charles I of England and Louis the XVI of France.

He relished the evil roles: “As Boris Karloff [his Corridors of Blood co-star] told me, you have to make your mark in something other actors cannot, or will not, do. And if it’s a success, you’ll not be forgotten.” His 1977 autobiography was titled Tall, Dark and Gruesome. Lee played Rochefort of Three Musketeers fame three times and was Sax Rohmer’s Asian evil genius with that distinctive mustache in five films of the 1960s, starting with The Face of Fu Manchu (1965). Ian Fleming, the creator of Bond, was his cousin and frequent golf companion. The author wanted Lee to play the title villain in the 007 film Dr. No (1962), but the job went to Joseph Wiseman. For Bond fans, it was worth the wait after seeing his turn as the wealthy assassin who employs only bullets made of gold in The Man With the Golden Gun.

Lee’s considerable body of film work also included Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951), The Wicker Man (1973), To the Devil a Daughter (1976), The Passage (1979), House of the Long Shadows (1983), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990), The Golden Compass (2007), The Resident (2011), Hugo (2011) and five films with director/fan Tim Burton: Sleepy Hollow (1999), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Corpse Bride (2005), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) — though his scenes were cut — and Dark Shadows (2012). Lee, who was knighted in 2009, appeared as Saruman in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and in the director’s two Hobbit films, including The Battle of Five Armies (2014).

And he was Count Dooku in the Star Wars installments Attack of the Clones (2002), Revenge of the Sith (2005) and The Clone Wars (2008). “This last decade has been the most extraordinary decade of my life,” he said in a 2012 interview . Christopher Frank Carandini Lee was born on May 27, 1922 (American horror legend Vincent Price was born on the same date 11 years earlier), and attended exclusive prep schools. He went to Eton College and Wellington College and studied Greek and Latin. During World War II, Lee served in the Royal Air Force and Special Forces and spent one year in a hellacious winter campaign in Finland. He was said to be a spy but never wanted to talk about it, honoring an oath of secrecy. “When the Second World War finished I was 23 and already I had seen enough horror to last me a lifetime,” he told the Telegraph in 2011 . “I’d seen dreadful, dreadful things, without saying a word.

So seeing horror depicted on film doesn’t affect me much.” Lee was decorated for distinguished service, and after his discharge, he took the advice of his uncle, the Italian ambassador in London, and tried his hand in the film business, landing a contract with the Rank Organisation. The Curse of Frankenstein — a box-office hit and the first film to feature Mary Shelley’s disfigured creature in color — was a big break for him. Lee likely landed the gig because he was so tall. Wilder told him he needed to come to America to further his career, and he took that advice and made Airport ’77, in which his character died under water and he almost drowned. He said the film that made him the most proud was Jinnah (1998), in which he played the founder of Pakistan. Despite his serious demeanor, Lee liked to showcase his offbeat, self-deprecating wit. He hosted Saturday Night Live in 1978, and his show (with musical guest Meat Loaf) reached 35 million viewers, one of its most-watched installments.

“As you may know, I first came to public attention as a result of my appearances in certain rather eerie and even macabre films,” he said during the SNL opening. “You may be surprised to know that I haven’t made one in several years. “This is because I have a great deal of respect for this kind of film, and I don’t think that very good ones are being produced anymore. Week after week, I find myself receiving scripts like The Creature From the Black Studies Program … and Frankenstein Snubs The Wolf Man … and of course, Dr. Terror’s House of Pancakes.” Later, he played a Russian commandant for laughs in Police Academy: Mission to Moscow (1994). An expert fencer and honorary member of three stuntman unions, Lee also knew how to handle a golf club. He was the first actor to be accepted into The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. How good was he? He thought he had enough cred to offer advice to Tiger Woods on how to play The Masters. Music was important to him.

He appeared in operas, sang “Name Your Poison” in The Return of Captain Invincible (1983) opposite Alan Arkin and was among the pack of “convicts” on the cover of Paul McCartney & Wings’ 1973 album Band on the Run. In 2010, Lee recorded a symphonic heavy metal concept album, Charlemagne: By the Sword and the Cross (he said he was related to the emperor on his mother’s side). Three years later, he released a follow-up that had Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath on guitar. “People never thought I would be a heavy metal performer. Well, I am,” he said in the 2012 interview. Sure, he never was nominated for an Oscar, but he has a Metal Hammer Golden God Award. Survivors include his wife Kroencke and their daughter Christina. Lee, who had a library of 12,000 books on the occult, admitted to being fascinated by the nature of evil during a 2003 interview with the Guardian . “ ‘Good’ people … being persistently noble can become rather uninteresting,” he said. “There is a dark side in all of us.

And for us ‘bad’ people, the bad side dominates. I think there is a great sadness in villains, and I have tried to put that across. We cannot stop ourselves doing what we are doing.” The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) - IMDb IMDb 17 January 2017 4:34 PM, UTC NEWS There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error The Man with the Golden Gun ( 1974 ) PG | James Bond is led to believe that he is targeted by the world's most expensive assassin while he attempts to recover sensitive solar cell technology that is being sold to the highest bidder.

Director: From $10.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 23 titles created 05 Mar 2013 a list of 24 images created 25 Jul 2014 a list of 23 titles created 10 Dec 2014 a list of 26 titles created 29 Dec 2015 a list of 26 titles created 3 months ago Title: The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) 6.8/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. 1 win & 1 nomination. See more awards » Videos James Bond investigates the hijacking of British and Russian submarines carrying nuclear warheads with the help of a KGB agent whose lover he killed. Director: Lewis Gilbert 007 is sent to stop a diabolically brilliant heroin magnate armed with a complex organization and a reliable psychic tarot card reader. Director: Guy Hamilton Agent 007 is assigned to hunt for a lost British encryption device and prevent it from falling into enemy hands.

Director: John Glen James Bond investigates the mid-air theft of a space shuttle and discovers a plot to commit global genocide. Director: Lewis Gilbert A fake Fabergé egg and a fellow agent's death lead James Bond to uncover an international jewel-smuggling operation, headed by the mysterious Octopussy, being used to disguise a nuclear attack on N.A.T.O. forces. Director: John Glen A diamond smuggling investigation leads James Bond to Las Vegas, where he uncovers an evil plot involving a rich business tycoon. Director: Guy Hamilton Agent 007 and the Japanese secret service ninja force must find and stop the true culprit of a series of spacejackings before nuclear war is provoked. Director: Lewis Gilbert James Bond heads to The Bahamas to recover two nuclear warheads stolen by SPECTRE agent Emilio Largo in an international extortion scheme. Director: Terence Young James Bond woos a mob boss's daughter and goes undercover to uncover the true reason for Blofeld's allergy research in the Swiss Alps that involves beautiful women from around the world. Director: Peter R. Hunt An investigation of a horse-racing scam leads 007 to a mad industrialist who plans to create a worldwide microchip monopoly by destroying California's Silicon Valley.

Director: John Glen James Bond is living on the edge to stop an evil arms dealer from starting another world war. Bond crosses all seven continents in order to stop the evil Whitaker and General Koskov. Director: John Glen James Bond goes rogue and sets off to unleash vengeance on a drug lord who tortured his best friend, a C.I.A. agent, and left him for dead and murdered his bride after he helped capture him. Director: John Glen Edit Storyline Scaramanga is a hit-man who charges a million dollars per job. He becomes linked to the death of a scientist working on a powerful solar cell, and James Bond is called in to investigate. As he tracks down Scaramanga, he realises that he is highly respected by the killer, but will this prove to be an advantage in the final showdown? Written by Graeme Roy <gsr@cbmamiga.demon.co.uk> Taglines: The world's greatest villains tried to kill James Bond. Now it's Scaramanga's turn to try See more » Genres: 20 December 1974 (USA) See more » Also Known As: Ian Fleming's The Man with the Golden Gun See more » Filming Locations: Did You Know?

Trivia In the fight in the dancer's dressing-room, Roger Moore sprays one of the villains in the face with an aerosol can of what is clearly Brut-33, a nod to the Fabergé company with which Moore was associated. See more » Goofs After the Bottoms Up Club scene, Lieutenant Hip tells Bond that they are going to "Kowloon side." He then says "We're going to the New Territories" as they ride the boat across Victoria Harbor. But the Bottoms Up Club is actually located in Kowloon, and Kowloon is part of the New Territories. See more » Quotes Francisco Scaramanga : Nick Nack! Tabasco! Nick-nack : Right away, Monsieur Scaramanga. See more » Crazy Credits THE END of THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN James Bond will return in THE SPY WHO LOVED ME See more » Connections (St. Louis, Missouri) – See all my reviews You don't review James Bond movies, you evaluate them, rate them according to how well they meet expectations. There are certain things one has come to expect, even demand of a Bond film and each individual effort either delivers or it doesn't.

So, here are ten elements that make a Bond film a Bond film and how THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN rates on a scale of 1 to 10: Title: THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN: Exceedingly lame, the title might be an accurate description of the film's villain, but it is almost embarrassing in its attempt at sexual innuendo. 4 points. Pre-Credit Teaser: A forty-year-old stereotype of a gangster (black shirt, white tie, fedora, etc.) is lured into a cheesy funhouse, that wouldn't even cut the muster at a fifth rate carnival, to do battle with Scaramanga, the world's highest paid professional assassin. This is supposed to foreshadow a duel of the titans confrontation between Scaramanga and Bond. Instead it introduces us to the rather tacky quality of the entire movie. 5 points. Opening Credits: Same old same old from Maurice Binder. 4 points. Theme Song: As bad as the title is, the attempt to turn it into a theme song is even worse. The music itself is catchy enough, I suppose, and the instrumental theme that pops up on the soundtrack now again is decent.

But the lyrics are just plain awful in their attempt to cross themes of sex and violence: "His eye may be on you or me. Who will he bang? We shall see." Ouch! Even pop diva Lulu can't do much with such numbingly bad material. 1 point. "Bond, James Bond": Were it not for the bits of campy humor peppered throughout the film, I suspect that Roger Moore would just nod off. It's only his second film and already he seems bored -- but with this material, who can blame him? 5 points. Bond Babes: As Scaramanga's mistress, Maud Adams is surprisingly poignant as a woman trapped in a corrupt world and controlled by an abusive man. She shows more depth than we have come to expect from a Bond Girl, but predictably her character is killed off far too soon. And, unfortunately, the film's heroine becomes Mary Goodnight, played by Britt Ekland, the one-time Mrs. Peter Sellers. Though we are supposed to believe she is a British agent, Goodnight is a one-joke ditz of the sort that suddenly became a Bond cliché. The two cancel each other out. 5 points.

Bond Villain: It is said that Ian Fleming wanted his cousin, famed screen Dracula, Christopher Lee, to be the villain in the first Bond film, DR. NO. That didn't work out, but it is hard to say if it was worth the wait to see him here. Lee is a class act and one of the legendary screen villains of all time. Unfortunately, he is saddled with playing one of the dullest Bond villains of all time. Scaramanga seems to be as noted for his good manners as for his bloodlust. Lee seems to be enjoying the role and there is nothing intrinsically wrong with his portrayal, it is just that Scaramanga doesn't seem all the threatening. Why doesn't Bond just shoot him and be done with it? 5 points. Bond Baddies: As sort of a Mini-Me version of Goldfinger's Oddjob, Nick Nack is apparently an all purpose butler, henchman, adorable sidekick and source of comic relief. At less than four feet tall, Hervé Villechaize is certainly not very threatening, but pound for pound and inch for inch, he is probably one of Bond's more memorable adversaries. 8 points.

Sinister Plot: The world's most notorious hired assassin apparently has a contract to kill 007, though considering Bond dodges three or four assassins in every one of his adventures, it's hard to see what the big deal is. Anyway, Bond is working on an assignment involving a missing scientist involved in harnessing solar energy and it turns out that Scaramanga is trying to take control of the world using solar energy. Wow, what a coincidence! And how lame. 3 points. Production values: Whatever ill that can be said about the film as a whole, it will always be cherished by Bondophiles for the infamous spinning car jump. In an attempt to jazz up their image, the carmaker AMC somehow persuaded the Bond producers to let them supply the cars for TMWTGG (just as Fords costarred in GOLDFINGER and Chevys in LIVE AND LET DIE), which is the only possible reason that Scaramanga would be driving a Matador. Anyway, it is also the only possible reason that Bond would commandeer an AMC Hornet to give chase. After a fairly well staged chase through the streets of Bangkok, Bond must catch up with Scaramanga by crossing a river via a half-collapsed bridge.

Thus, the car trick from two ramps twisted in opposite directions. A neat trick. And if all Matadors could sprout wings and fly like Scaramanga's, maybe AMC would still be in business. 10 points. Bonus Points: Clifton James, as the big-bellied, tobacco-spitting, none-too-bright southern sheriff, J.W. Pepper, is back and for no apparent reason beyond being a desperate attempt to repeat a joke that fell flat when used in LIVE AND LET DIE. Minus 5 points. Summary: THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN was used as evidence that the Bond series was wearing out its welcome. Despite trying new things with the character and the formula, the film seems listless and uninspired. It is a low point, but it is also the lull before the rebirth that would come with THE SPY WHO LOVED ME. Bond-o-meter Rating: 45 points out of 100. 16 of 19 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes Actor Christopher Lee dies at 93 - CNN.com MUST WATCH Horror master, legendary villain Christopher Lee dies 02:33 He was often quoted as saying he had to be talked into playing in some of the Dracula films. He said he played the character silently in one film -- 1965's "House of Horrors" -- because the lines were so bad. Later, he took on the role of James Bond's nemesis Francisco Scaramanga in 1974's "The Man with the Golden Gun," and was introduced to a new generation of film-goers in 2001 with "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring." It's terribly when you lose an old friend, and Christopher Lee was one of my oldest. We first met in 1948. — Sir Roger Moore (@sirrogermoore) June 11, 2015 In it, he played the evil wizard Saruman, former mentor to Gandalf -- the good-guy wizard's role Lee said he once coveted but had grown too old to play.

The next year, he entered the "Star Wars" universe as the fallen Jedi knight, Count Dooku, in the "Star Wars: The Clone Wars." Both series brought him renewed fame and acclaim, but for Lee, two roles always stood out: His 1973 turn as Lord Summerisle in the cult classic "The Wicker Man," and his portrayal of the founder of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, in the 1998 film, "Jinnah." "The most important thing I've ever done," he said in a 2011 forum at the University College Dublin. Lee was knighted in 2009 -- fittingly on the day before Halloween -- for his accomplishments in the arts. Two years later, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awarded Lee its highest honor, the Academy Fellowship. BAFTA CEO Amanda Berry expressed sorrow Thursday at the passing of Lee, whom she called a "truly talented and versatile actor." "His biography, and therefore his legacy, is one that many in the film industry can only dream of," Berry said. In 2011, Lee said that he always wanted to bring something unexpected to his roles.

"One thing to me is very important, if you're playing somebody that the audience regards as, let's say evil, try to do something they don't expect, something that surprises the audience," he said. In his last few years, he did just that for many fans: he turned to a heavy metal career, releasing the holiday albums "A Heavy Metal Christmas" and "A Heavy Metal Christmas Too" in 2012 and 2013 -- endearing himself to yet another group of fans, many of whom reacted to the news of his death with an outpouring of celebration and sadness. "The great, always criminally underrated Sir Christopher Lee has left us," actor Mark Gatiss wrote on Twitter. "A Titan of Cinema and a huge part of my youth. Farewell." The great, always criminally underrated Sir Christopher Lee has left us. A Titan of Cinema and a huge part of my youth. Farewell. Christopher Lee - IMDb IMDb Actor | Soundtrack | Producer Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee was perhaps the only actor of his generation to have starred in so many films and cult saga.

Although most notable for personifying bloodsucking vampire, Dracula, on screen, he portrayed other varied characters on screen, most of which were villains, whether it be Francisco Scaramanga in the James Bond film, The ... See full bio » Born: Actor Christopher Lee dies; played villains in ‘Lord of the Rings,’ ‘Star Wars’ films | The Seattle Times Actor Christopher Lee dies; played villains in ‘Lord of the Rings,’ ‘Star Wars’ films Originally published June 11, 2015 at 6:19 am Updated June 11, 2015 at 7:13 am Christopher Lee attends the world premiere of “Skyfall” in London in 2012. (Aurore Marechal / Abaca Press / TNS) Christopher Lee, a British actor who appeared in more than 250 movies, has died at age 93. His memorable roles included the wicked wizard Saruman in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and the evil Count Dooku in two of George Lucas’ “Star Wars” prequels.

Share story JILL LAWLESS The Associated Press LONDON — Christopher Lee, an actor who brought dramatic gravitas and aristocratic bearing to screen villains from Dracula to James Bond enemy Scaramanga, has died at age 93. Lee appeared in more than 250 movies, including memorable roles as the wicked wizard Saruman in “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and the evil Count Dooku in two of George Lucas’ “Star Wars” prequels. But for many he will forever be known as the vampire Count Dracula in a slew of “Hammer Horror” movies — the gory, gothic thrillers churned out by the British studio in the 1950s and 1960s that became hugely popular. He railed against the typecasting, however, and ultimately the sheer number and range of his roles — from Sherlock Holmes to the founder of Pakistan — secured his place in film history. “I didn’t have dreams of being a romantic leading man,” Lee told The Associated Press in 2002. “But I dreamed of being a character actor, which I am.” Most Read Stories Unlimited Digital Access. $1 for 4 weeks.

An official for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London on Thursday confirmed a death certificate was issued for Lee on June 8. She spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with the policies of the borough. Christopher Frank Carandini Lee was born in London on May 27, 1922. His father was a British army officer who had served in the Boer War, his mother was Contessa Estelle Marie Carandini di Sarzano, an Edwardian beauty of Italian descent. His parents separated when he was young, and his mother later remarried Harcourt Rose, the uncle of James Bond creator Ian Fleming. He attended Wellington College, an elite boarding school, and joined the Royal Air Force during World War II. Poor eyesight prevented him becoming a pilot, and he served as an intelligence officer in North Africa and Italy. After the war, the 6 foot 4 (1.83-meter), sepulchral-looking Lee was signed to a contract with Britain’s Rank studio, and spent the next decade playing minor roles in a series of formulaic pictures. He also appeared briefly in Laurence Olivier’s “Hamlet” in 1948 — as did his future Hammer co-star, Peter Cushing.

He launched his horror career in 1957, starring as the monster in Hammer’s “The Curse of Frankenstein.” In 1958 Lee made his first appearance as the famous vampire in “Dracula,” opposite Cushing’s Van Helsing. In 1958 Lee made his first appearance as the famous vampire in “Dracula,” opposite Cushing’s Van Helsing. Film critic Matthew Sweet said Lee brought a sensuality to the role that chimed with the newly permissive times. While Bela Lugosi, the definitive 1930s Dracula, “postures and glides, Lee is rough and muscular,” Sweet wrote in 2007. “Lee’s performance convinced a generation of scholars that Dracula was a book about sex, and not about vampires,” Sweet said. Lee went on to play the Transylvanian vampire in sequels including “Dracula: Prince of Darkness,” “Dracula Has Risen From the Grave,” “Taste the Blood of Dracula,” “Scars of Dracula” and “Dracula A.D. 1972” — an ill-advised attempt to update the series to 1970s London.

Lee was wary of being typecast, and later said the studio practically blackmailed him into continuing to appear as Dracula. He held out for eight years after the first Dracula film before appearing in “Dracula: Prince of Darkness” — in which he stars but has no lines. In 2006, Lee told the BBC that his reaction to reading the script for the film was, “I’m not saying any of these lines. It’s impossible. They’re ridiculous.” “That’s why I don’t speak in the film,” he said. During this period, Lee played non-vampiric roles in Hammer’s “The Devil Rides Out,” “The Mummy,” “Rasputin, the Mad Monk” and “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” and starred as mustachioed master criminal Fu Manchu in a series of low-budget thrillers. His last film for Hammer was “To the Devil a Daughter” in 1976. Starting in the 1970s, Lee tried to shake off the Hammer mantle. He played a Bond villain — Scaramanga in “The Man With the Golden Gun” — and appeared in non-Hammer horror films.

The most distinguished of these was 1973’s “The Wicker Man,” a cult classic in which Lee plays the lord of a Scottish pagan community troubled by the appearance of an inquisitive police officer. Lee appeared in so many movies that he acknowledged he couldn’t remember them all. “And certainly some of them you want to forget,” he said in 2002. An energetic man who listed his hobbies in “Who’s Who” as “travel, opera, golf, cricket,” Lee never retired. His career flourished late in life, with roles in some of the best-loved of film franchises, including “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy and two of George Lucas’ “Star Wars” prequels. He became Sir Christopher Lee when he was knighted in October 2009, receiving the honor from Prince Charles at Buckingham Palace.

Lee said at that time that “although I’ve played a lot of bad guys, there’s more scope than being the man in the white hat.” Lee also appeared in several films by Tim Burton, including “Sleepy Hollow” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” and was proud of his turn as Pakistan’s founder, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, in “Jinnah.” Lee felt his gift for comedy was underappreciated. He was proud to have hosted the popular U.S. sketch show “Saturday Night Live” in 1978 and told the BBC that his greatest regret was turning down the part that went to Leslie Nielsen in the slapstick comedy “Airplane.” “A lot of people, including the casting directors, have no idea that when I lived in America half of the films I did were comedies,” he said in 2006. “They have no idea that I hosted ‘Saturday Night Live.’ They don’t seem to be interested.” Lee married Birgit Kroencke in 1961. Their daughter, Christina, was born in 1963. JILL LAWLESS

Question: Which James Bond villain was played by Christopher Lee?
Answer: SCARAMANGA